A Nice Swim

The last week of September felt energetic. I lifted weight on Sunday and trained

jiu-jitsu everyday. Recovery had never been better. Friday was open mat where

addicts paired up and went for five-minute rounds. I stayed back, still not

feeling up to one full hour of non-stop rolling. I did it once and had to rest

the next three days. I worked on a few bugs, walked twice in the neighborhood,

read the dictionary, and cooked a pot of jjigae. Toward the end of the day, I

became restless. I went to the downtown Eagle Park and bought 25 swim passes and

jumped into the pool.

 

One cool thing about swimming was that once acquired, the skills stuck for life.

In the past, however, the first swim after some time off always felt tiring and

sluggish. Then it would improve if I kept at it for a few days.

 

Not this time. Right away, my body streamlined in water and I freestyle-ed six

laps before taking a break. My upper-body and core strength, greatly improved

over a year of jiu-jitsu, steadied the arms and torso and delivered powerful and

untiring strokes. I was certainly faster than the tall guy next lane although

for long distance, I needed to work on my bi-lateral breathing and rhythm.

 

Overall, not bad at all after seven years away from the pool. In another 20

minutes, I was out--I didn't want to get sore before Saturday morning's

jiu-jitsu class.

 

But I shouldn't need to worry. 1000 yards or so solo aquatic gliding seemed to

calm me down and help sleep. My body felt great the next morning. From now on, I

should try to blend regular swimming in weekly physical activities.

 

Cheers!